


A Killer Among Us

by Fallingforgravity



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friendship/Love, Killing, Love, Multi, Murder, Serial Killers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-02-04 10:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallingforgravity/pseuds/Fallingforgravity
Summary: A Serial Killer has begun a spree in Gravity Falls and no one can figure out who it might be. What will befall the Pines family and a newcomer into the town? Is Bill involved? Will Stanley Pines find love?





	1. The Beginning of the Ritual

Stanley Pines, better known as Stanford Pines to anyone who asks, sat on his deck and stared into the darkness ahead. Trees almost completely circled the tiny shack save for the road out and he wasn’t usually the skittish type but there was a lot on the line lately. Especially with the kids coming to visit him so suddenly. The house got locked every night now when that wasn’t much of a worry before. Soos, his handyman, had stopped staying over some nights so to make sure his grandmother wasn’t alone in town. Honestly, the entire town was on edge, careful and never walking around alone. He didn’t blame any of them. People were dying. Three so far and from the gossip of the small town it was quite gruesome. Granted all of them had been tourists but that didn’t mean whoever or whatever was doing this wouldn’t move on to the townsfolk themselves. So Stanley watched every night, just for awhile, just in case someone approached his house. He didn’t keep guns, a stint in Arkansas made sure that he couldn’t do that even kind of legally, but he had a pretty convincing baseball bat that he figured would do the trick pretty well. The kids asked to stay out with him some nights but he hadn’t relented yet. He was sure as soon as he agreed to that something bad would happen. He still let them stay up late though, even once he got done watching the yard he wouldn’t go to bed so it was nice for them to sleep in so he could sleep too. They ran the same schedule usually, that’s the way it had to be now. Dinner, TV time together, Mable and Dipper showing off whatever they had done that day, sitting on the porch, lab and bed.

A branch cracked in the distance and Stanley snapped himself out of the daydream. He was starting to get anxious about the coming days. In these long years he was finally close, closer than he’d ever been. Recently Dipper had found a book that wasn’t infinitely important to the research and it finally seemed like everything was going in the right direction. Wasn’t it incredibly convenient that as things grew closer to completion mysterious and awful things began to happen? Everything was weird in this godforsaken town and this was no exception. He stretched out his tired bones, cracked a couple in his back and groaned. Getting old was for the birds. Stanley stood up, swept his gaze over the yard one more time and grabbed the handle of the bat. Time to retire. The boards of the porch, almost as old as him, creaked under his feet and the screen door slammed behind him. Flinching at the sound he sighed and approached the vending machine. 5 button presses later and he was on his way to the basement, another long night ahead of him.  
Up the stairs behind the door at the end of the hall, the twins were still awake, huddled on Dipper’s bed whispering about the same thing Stan had been worried about.

“Do you think Grunkle Stan will keep us safe if the monster comes here?” Mable chittered, chewing on her nails. Dipper rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“It’s not a monster Mable, It’s a person and….I mean yeah he will keep us safe. Whoever it is isn’t going to come all the way up here anyways.” He nodded his head confidently but the worry was clear on his face too.

The young girl lowered her head in a conspirators way and whispered. “I heard Robbie and Wendy talking about it and Robbie said that it was really gross and bloody.” She stuck her tongue out and made a heaving noise. Wendy was a cashier at the shack and Robbie was her terrible boyfriend. His parents were the funeral directors in town which probably explained why he knew stuff about the bodies.

“I wouldn’t worry about it okay? You’re gonna give yourself nightmares and then keep me up all night.” Dipper stretched his legs out and yawned. Mable reached down at picked her pet pig up off the floor, squeezing him gently.

“Ooookay.” She slowly slipped off his bed and began trudging towards her own. Dipper watched her for a moment before sighing dramatically.

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Before the question was fully out of his mouth Mable was screaming and jumping into his bed, bouncing up and down. Her brother laughed and then stretched out, flicking the light next to them off. The rooms shadows lengthened and became scarier than before. He hoped that he wouldn’t have nightmares too.

* * *

  
I yawned massively and rubbed my eyes. They were grainy and raw as hell. Picking up my coffee cup and shaking it revealed that I was out and that was a real problem. Next town would have to be a pit stop. The last 12 hours had been straight driving and the sleepiness was becoming unavoidable. Washington had been depressing and super rainy, not a great place to stop in my opinion. Oregon was okay but a lot more trees than I was used to. A few mile markers later and finally an exit sign appeared. There was no name on it, simply Exit 13 but it was better than driving any further trying not to fall asleep. The ramp curved in almost a full circle and immediately lead to a country road. Gone were the three and four lanes of interstate travel. A couple of miles down that road and I was starting to lose hope that there was anything other than pine trees out here. Finally a dingy sign showed up in the distance. It looked homemade and had, you guessed it, trees on it. Gravity Falls. What kind of town name was that? I breasted a hill and the town came into sight almost immediately. A large water tower and bridge through a canyon wall drew the eye. It just looked like a sleepy little town nestled in the trees. What if nothing was open this late?

I followed along the same road through several curves that made the trip much longer than it looked before finally coming onto the main street of the town. Most of the houses and businesses had their lights off, locked up tight, but I noticed a diner in the distance that proclaimed 24 Hours. Perfect. I parked my little beater car in front of the building and slowly walked inside, stretching out my stiff limbs. There was an older lady behind the counter talking to a rather large man with the reddest hair I’d seen in a long while. They both looked at me for a good long moment before she smiled and gestured to a chair.

“Sit anywhere you’d like. I’ll be right with you.” I nodded, smiling and trying not to look too tired, and grabbed a seat in a booth. She stopped by pretty quickly and I only wanted coffee anyways but she talked me into some pie. Who can turn down pie? She and the large man went back to talking and it can’t really be considered eavesdropping if you’re sitting in an empty dinner and can clearly hear them.

“The third one was found out in the forest, some guy from California from the sounds of it.” The large man said matter-of-factly and the older lady shuddered. I watched her good eye stare off through the glass windows for a moment.

“I can’t believe we’re dealing with something like this. It’s the stuff you only hear about in the big cities.” She kept wiping the same spot on the counter over and over again.

“Small towns drive people crazy.” A simple statement but one that resonated well with me. I knew it all too well. I was running away from a small town every passing mile.

The lady fixed him hard with her gaze and hmphed loudly. “I refuse to believe that anyone in our town would be doing something like this. It has to be an outsider.” The diner got very quiet and I drank my coffee in the uncomfortable air. Once the cup was empty I turned around and swallowed hard.

“I don’t mean to be in your business, but I couldn’t help overhearing what you guys were talking about.” The silence extended for a few moments longer before the large man turned towards me.

“There’s been some killings.” Very blunt. I chewed on my bottom lip, not wanting to act startled.

“That’s awful.” I didn’t really know what say other than that. He eyed me and then nodded.

“Aye it is. No town people though, all people passing through.” I laughed nervously when he said that, expecting him to laugh along. He definitely did not laugh. I guess there was nothing funny about murder. The silence thickened again and I finally couldn’t handle it, standing up and placing money on the table.

“Thanks for the coffee, but I’m pretty bushed. Is there anywhere to stay the night around here?” The old woman finally looked up again and shook her head.  
“We don’t have much in the way of hotels around these parts. No one’s much up to taking in guests with everything that’s goin on either. The only people I could think of that might…might take someone in would be the Pines. They’re up the hill. It’ll cost ya but Stanford Pines is a good man.” She shrugged and fell quiet again. I smiled and was going to tell them my appreciation but they didn’t seem to care. Oh well. I left the diner and scrubbed my hands over my arms nervously. I should’ve stopped somewhere else. I sat in my driver’s seat for awhile, deciding whether or not to sleep in the car in a potentially dangerous town I didn’t know or asking for room and board from people I didn’t know. Finally the thought of staying in the car scared me into head up the hill, away from the town and through the woods. The trees finally broke way into a clearing and a large sign loomed ahead on top of an old shack. It read Mystery Shack.


	2. Meeting the Pines

Stanley looked over an electrical panel, tapped on the glass reader and sighed. It didn’t matter how many books he read on engineering or mechanics, some of these devices were beyond him. They just didn’t make sense. He pushed the rolling chair back across the lab floor and stared out a small window at the hulking machinery behind. The metal looked cold and mean, eerie by itself in the large room even though it was massive. Enough to cause a chill to cross your spine. He cracked open another book, laying a large red journal next to it and began comparing notes between the too. The actual textbook made sense but the journal that he needed to make it work seemed like magic. Things connecting that shouldn’t connect. Before he could get too frustrated Stanley leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath. The quiet settled around him, just the lulling hum of equipment and he let his eyes slip for just a minute. He was just so tired.

 

The world began to appear around Stanley like a melting painting, gray being filled in with the proper colors. The smell of salt hung heavily on the air and a cool breeze was flowing from the left side. He turned and saw the beautiful ocean, widening further than his eyes could catch and a damp, stretching sand attached. Two striped towels were laid out surrounded by buckets and shovels and he raced over, laughing. The nostalgia was amazing. Young legs carried him quicker than he expected and he stumbled over a sand dune, rolling forward onto a towel and getting sand up his bathing suit. The young Stan sat there for a moment, staring out at the ocean when a voice appeared next to him.

 

“Hey, are we going to finish this or not?” An identical young boy sat next to him, knees held tightly to his chest, glasses falling down his nose and gesturing towards a rickety wooden boat. ‘Stan O’War’ was painted in big, white stripes on the side.

 

“Yeah! Then we’re going to sail off on the Seven Seas!” Stanley jumped up, his own voice a squeak, and raised one leg like the captains in the movies did. His twin laughed and smiled, staying on the towel and staring out at the ocean.

 

“Well the adventure is more my backup plan ya know.” His voice sounded older now and Stanley looked at him, surprised, and saw an older version of the boy, around 17.

 

“Backup plan? But!” His voice was still a squeak, body still young and childish. They were supposed to go on an adventure together! They had planned it!

 

Now his twin looked angry, hitting his fists against the sand. “You ruined this for me. You always ruin everything for me. Why don’t you go ruin someone else’s life?”

 

Stanley felt his eyes fill with tears and sat back down, rubbing hard to push them away. “You’re not better than me, even if everyone thought so.”

 

“Stanley…I need your help.” The voice had aged again and Stanley was scared to look at him. Scared to see the face he let down. As he slowly began to turn his head a rumbling noise began to come from the ocean, louder and louder over the water. He stared out at it for a long time, seeing first a swell then a massive wave rolling towards them.

 

“Ford! FORD!”

 

“FORD!” Stanley almost fell out of his chair, snapping awake and balancing at last second. He was breathing hard and could feel wetness on his face. The rumbling had not stopped but was joined by a crunching sound above him and it took a few moments for the dream confusion to disappear. Once it finally did he jumped up, realizing the sound was someone in their driveway. In the middle of the night. Charging up the stairs and not caring to be in just boxers and a white undershirt, he skidded to a stop in front of the window next to the door. A car was parked outside but shadows covered it heavily and he couldn’t make out the form inside. Stanley picked up his baseball bat and grabbed the door handle.

 

 

I stared up at the shack, rickety and old and sighed. This seemed like a tourist trap and the last place that I would want to stay at for the night. The lady said a family lived up here right? I was getting serious Texas Chainsaw vibes. Reaching for the handle to my door, I once again decided that anywhere would be better than staying in my old car like a sitting duck for who knows what. Just a little sleep and back on the road in the morning, no problem at all. As I stepped out of the car and scanned the area, it began to look even creepier. The sudden creak of a door made me almost jump out of my skin and give a little shriek. An older man stepped out of the shack, baseball bat dragging on the ground behind him. He was only wearing boxers and an undershirt. He stared at me for an uncomfortable minute before I broke out of whatever shock was holding me.

 

“Oh Hi! Sorry to bother you, I’ll just be leaving. Have a great night!” I swung my door open to climb back in, certain that death itself stood on that porch.

 

“Why are you on my property?” His voice was gravely and strong. My jaw locked instantly and my brain began to race itself against my nerves.

 

“Ah, A lady told me this was a good place to stay the night. But it’s obvious I must have gotten lost!” A small giggle tittered out of me and it took a lot not to look mortified after it. What was I doing? Why did the dark make everything so much scarier?

 

“Who might that lady have been?” He didn’t seem upset, now leaning an elbow on to the bat and gazing less harshly.

 

“Uhm, she was at the diner in town. Older lady, had a lazy eye.” I felt rude saying that but this didn’t seem like the time for manners.

 

He stood still a moment, seeming to mull over what I had told him before nodding.

 

“Yeah that’s Susan. Well she’s not wrong, we’ve got the room and I’m never opposed to letting someone stay if they need. It’ll cost ya though.”

 

I considered the option for a moment, mumbling that she had said that as well while I thought.

 

“What was that?” He finally had rested the bat up against the wall next to the door and now stood with crossed arms.

 

“Oh sorry, yeah she said it would cost. That’s fine. I’m just falling asleep at the wheel and they were talking about some terrible stuff going on in these parts recently. I just didn’t feel safe sleeping in the car.” I laughed again a bit more naturally. “I guess it’s just as dangerous to go to a random person’s house without any knowledge.”

 

He laughed softly as well and nodded. “Well sure, for all you know I’m the one runnin around and killin folks.”

 

I grimaced immediately, staring at the ground and reassessing my previous growing comfort. He rubbed his head sheepishly. “Sorry, that was a bad joke. And I probably seemed pretty defensive coming out here with a weapon but…I’ve got kids to look after and you can never be too safe.”

 

Kids? That made things seem a bit more safe right? I sighed finally and felt the sleep tugging at my eyes again. He must have noticed because he picked up the bat and gestured towards the house.

 

“Look, don’t worry about the payment. It’s the middle of the night. Bunk up with us and we can talk about all the crazy stuff in the morning. If you stick around for breakfast at least.”

 

I still wasn’t completely comfortable but the options were slim and he honestly didn’t seem that bad. And kids right? I nodded and locked my car, not bothering with bags. I had no intention of staying any longer than sleeping. He showed me inside and the house was pretty homey on the inside. We walked through a shop that must have been the tourist trap part, covered in souvenirs and strange looking fake creatures. Bad fakes too, the glue still looked fresh. The living room area had old rugs and a comfy looking recliner and couch. It was the couch he gestured to.

 

“I’ve either gotta couch that’s seen better days, though I have many a good nap on it. I’ve also got a room upstairs but I understand if you’d rather stay down here.” It was nice of him to offer that and he was exactly right, I’d rather be close to the door if possible.

 

“The couch seems fine. Thank you so much for letting me stay.” He nodded and smiled, lighting up his face rather pleasantly and left the room. I sat down and looked around, noticing that everything was very old fashioned. He wasn’t gone long, returning with pillows and blankets.

 

“If you do decided to stay for breakfast, it’s pretty late. We sleep in an awful lot around here.” He didn’t wait for a response, walking towards the hallway before stopping.

 

“My name is Stanford by the way. Stanford Pines.” I smiled and introduced myself as well.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Stanford.” He nodded and left the room. I looked around one more time for good measure and finally laid down. The couch was musty but it only took about a minute for me to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One Two Bill is Coming For You


	3. The Killer strikes Again

Usually I had pretty vivid dreams but the exhaustion set in heavily and it felt like time travel. Asleep and then awake. Unfortunately I slept much longer than previously intended and woke up to the trace smell of food and a hand on my shoulder. I groggily looked up and saw Stan’s face swim into focus, smiling down in my direction.

 “Hey there doll, it’s getting pretty late, figured I’d offer you up something to eat.” He was wearing a suit this time, a big change from last night’s outfit. It fit him quite well honestly. I rubbed at my face for a moment and looked around.

 “What time is it?” I sat up and stretched, the feeling fantastic. I hadn’t gotten a good nights sleep in a long while and the couch had been much more comfortable than I thought. He shrugged and his smile expanded.

 “How bout you don’t worry about that? Come have something to eat.” He turned and gestured towards the kitchen and I fixed him with a hard glance.

 “How about you tell me what time it is?” I didn’t mean to come across rude but I had asked a question.

 “Whoa whoa doll. Sorry. It’s almost 6:00.” He grimaced and looked towards a dial clock on the wall. I grimaced hard. How did I sleep so long?

 “First of all, don’t call me doll. Second of all, I’m sorry I overstayed my welcome. I should really be going.” The sleep had almost completely left me and I realized what a situation this was. Nobody was even supposed to be awake when I left.

 “Okay, sorry bout that. Habit. Ya know, I know ya seem to be really worried about us, but there is no reason. Come have food at least.”

 I stared at him a moment before sighing. My stomach was growling and I might be acting a bit too defensive about the situation. Not something I’d like to admit but people weren’t my specialty. I didn’t feel like that was anything to apologize over.

 He held my gaze for a long while, studiously, in a way that made me not uncomfortable but watchful.

 “Fine, alright. I’ll stay for a meal.”

 His grin became huge and he started walking towards the kitchen. I stood and followed, trying to let my worry drip away. Around the corner the table was set with just one plate and Stan began pulling things out of the fridge, using the microwave to heat it up. I slowly sat down and took a look at the decor around me. Construction paper covered in glitter sat magnetized to the fridge. Wooden panels ran the walls, oaken like a cabin. I watched him, heating up the food and smiled as he suddenly looked towards me. It seemed like the polite thing to do.

 “How are you feeling?” He asked it in a genuine way. Or so it seemed.

 “Good, much more rested than yesterday.” I was relaxing, the smile melting into something more natural. He smiled back and I took a moment to recognize that he was quite a bit handsome. Dark eyes and a strong jaw, he took me off guard. That still didn’t make me trust him, just appreciate.

 “I’m glad. Ya know, we don’t have visitors often. Even though it is a beautiful place, Gravity Falls is so out of the way, the best we can do is bringing in tourists to see the Strange! The Weird! The Unexplained!” He laughed after delivering a convincing spiel that felt sleazy all the same. That tickled me a bit and I laughed while he pulled the food out and delivered it onto the plate. I figured I’d be hesitant and thankful but the food smelled so good I dug right in. It was absolutely delicious, microwaved or not. I hadn’t had a home cooked meal in a long time. My own inability to cook had much to do with that.

 “What did you say your name was again?” I asked in between bites. He was washing dishes now, still in a suit though which seemed strange.

 “Ah Stanford Pines! You can call me Stan though, that’s what mostly everyone does.” He smiled softly again and came over to the table, sitting across from me.

 “I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me anything about you?” I slowed my eating and fixed a heavy eye on him, not trusting the question. I wasn’t a fan of people who pried.

 “There’s not much to know about me. I just left my town in hopes of a change of scenery.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but he didn’t seem to over analyze it much anyways, shrugging and picking up a newspaper.

 “Do you think Gravity Falls is the change of scenery you need?” He asked from behind the pages, and I shook my head quickly.

 “Oh no, this is just where I stopped for the night. My body was shutting down. Honestly, if the people at the diner hadn’t been so strang- uh different about stuff I would’ve just slept in my car.” Stan lowered the paper and laughed.

 “Everyone in this town is a little strange, I wouldn’t worry too much about them. The crimes that have been goin on, now that’s somethin to worry about it. And I’m not talking about mine!” He slapped his knee and laughed even harder and though I had no idea what he meant, I laughed along politely. He rubbed a tear away from under one eye and came down to a chuckle. Something very serious seemed to sit behind his gaze but his face went right on smiling..

 I set my fork down against the plate and took a moment to appreciate a full belly. He noticed I was done and stood up, grabbing the plate and clattering it into the sink. When Stan turned back around his hands were on his hips.

 “Well I suppose you’ll be going now then?” I nodded in response and stood up, ruffling my hair that I knew would be a mess. Through the window you could see the sun setting and while I didn’t fancy a night on the road, it was time to get out of this town, no matter how nice Stanford Pines was. He walked me through the living room and into the yard, not putting up any resistance which I found very pleasant. Right before we reached my car he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I tensed immediately but the move didn’t seem aggressive. He was staring at me, all the humor gone from his features.

 “Please be careful. Don’t pick up hitchhickers.” I rolled my eyes and nodded.

 “Yes dad.” I didn’t appreciate a strangers concern for me but he didn’t hit me as the type out to cause problems. His hand stayed for a moment before squeezing once more and nodding. I got into my car and gave a little wave, still feeling the pressure of his hand. I hadn’t been touched by someone like that in awhile. Most of my family was gone and relationships…..they just didn’t work. I pulled my car onto the road back to town and continued moving forward.

 

* * *

 

A young woman saw the sky darkening through the open door and waved towards her friends across the bar.

 “I’m gonna head back to the cabin guys! Getting pretty tired!” A couple of them waved and went back to their conversation. A tall boy with dark hair named Jordan jogged around the counter and slid next to her, giving a quick peck on the cheek. She gasped.

 “Jordan! Quit!” They had been very sweet on each other for awhile now but no one knew yet they were going to start dating and in her personal opinion no one even knew they were interested in each other. Jordan rolled his eyes, knowing everyone already figured it out but let her carry on.

 “Oh So Sorry Queen Marie!” He pretended to bow and beg for forgiveness and received a solid kick to the calf for it. “Ouch!”

 “Don’t tease me Jordan!” She looked mad, face flushed and nose wrinkled, but she also was hiding a smile and he knew it wasn’t that bad. He straightened up and slung an arm over her shoulders.

 “How about I walk you back pretty lady?” He smiled his best charming instead of sleazy smile and she laughed then, shaking her head.

“I’m okay, that’s sweet of you to offer though.” Marie was looking forward to a long shower and bed. Only one of those would happen if Jordan came along. As if to prove that point he wiggled his eyebrows at her and pulled a bit closer.

 “Are you sure? I’ll make sure you get there. To the cabin I mean.” He smiled again and winked. Marie bit at her bottom lip, thinking and then shook her head.

 “As much fun as that sounds, I really am tired. Go have fun okay? Don’t make any bad decisions.” She nodded resolutely and started to pull away from his arm. He sighed and nodded, pulling away but not before sneaking another kiss in, this one on the lips. She smiled against him and then pushed away laughing. He threw his hands up and walked back towards the group.

 Marie walked out into the cool night air and thought of how pretty the stars were out in the country. They had decided to take a fun trip camping while on break from the university and someone had family with a cabin up here. So they had packed up and drove. So far there had been way more drinking than camping but she had great friends and Jordan had come along. She stumbled her way up the street, a littler tipsier than she had previously thought. The cabin was only about a 15 minute walk from the town, not much to worry about.

 She walked along, the towns streets pulling away into a gravel road, thinking about the stars and thinking about Jordan. She was pretty sure they were going to get married one day. She wondered if he felt the same way. A branch cracked in the distance pulling the young woman from her thoughts. Marie looked around and saw nothing, though the trees closing in were getting a bit creepy. She picked up the pace a bit, gravel spraying under her feet. Another cracking sound, this one much closer caused her to jump in surprise and she was suddenly afraid. Running seemed like the best way to begin to panic so she forced herself to walk quickly instead, hands gripping the opposite arm tightly. It sounded like there were footsteps behind her now but it was hard to make out over the sound of her own feet. Marie wanted to cry. Her mind went irrationally to monsters in the darkness that wanted to eat her. The sound was louder now and it definitely was footsteps, so close to behind her. When a hand brushed against the back of her shirt Marie let out a scream and began running hard, rocks flying behind her.

 “MARIE! MARIE!” The familiar voice behind her. She turned quickly, mid stride and went down on one knee hard. Jordan jogged up beside her, a panicked look on his face.

“Oh Gosh Marie, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to scare you that bad!” Her knee was oozing blood and she shoved him hard before rising shakily.

 “What the hell Jordan? You gave me a heart attack.” The young man looked more like a boy as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

 “Yeah I guess that wasn’t a great idea was it. I was just trying to be funny.” Marie’s face softened a little and finally she shrugged.

 “I guess I’m not that upset to see you. But you’re still going to be punished.” She started walking towards the cabin again which was in eye shot and he followed closely behind.

 “Does that mean-?” She cut him off.

 “That’s exactly what I mean you jerk.” He didn’t reply, hanging his head and swaying a bit. Jordan reached the door first, opening it quietly and gesturing for her to go in first. She nodded curtly at him, trying to keep up the angry facade, knowing he’d still be getting what he wanted.

The cabin was dark and her hand groped around for the light switch.

 “Aha!” She cried, finally finding it and lights flooded the room. Marie looked around for a moment, confused, before her eyes settled on her best friend who was laying on the floor. Jordan began to scream and Marie looked towards him, startled. Somebody had spilled paint all over their cabin. Ugly red paint. It was all over Jessica too. She took a step forward and her foot slid in something, almost causing another fall. It was more of that paint. Gross. It smelled awful. She inspected her red footprint streak closer and realized that it wasn't paint on the floor.

 “Jessie. Hey Jessie?” Her voice sounded weird and suddenly Jordan was pulling her backwards and she was letting him and everything was getting really fuzzy. The last thing she heard was Jordan crying on the phone, begging someone to send help.

 

* * *

 

 Night fell quickly and before I had even left the main part of downtown headlights became necessary. There were no other cars on the road which seemed kind of strange but I dismissed it quickly and kept on out of the town. The interstate wasn’t far, only about 4 miles, but around half way there a large yellow roadblock came into view. Surrounding the roadblock where two big, black SUV s. Two men climbed out as I approached and slowed to a stop. One approached my window and gestured for me to roll it down, holding up a badge. I sighed heavily. What on earth was this? I pressed the button to lower the window and the man stepped back a bit.

 “Hello ma’am. We apologize for the inconvenience but there is no traffic in or out of Gravity Falls at this moment.” I stared at him, confused.

 “Is it because of all of these killings? Look I just made a pit stop here, I need to keep going and get out of this town.” Maybe not the best choice of words. The man in the suit lowered his eyes at me, face completely stone.

 “No one is allowed in or out. What do you know about the things that have been going on around here?” His question seemed aggressive and I realized I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

 “Nothing really, just what I heard from the townsfolk. I guess I’ll head back in and find a place to stay for the night.” He didn’t say anything in response to that so I simply nodded and rolling the window back up, backing out until I could turn around. I could see them writing something in a notebook in my rear view mirror and sighed. Great.

 I let out a frustrated groan and smacked the steering wheel.

“Guess I’m headed back to the shack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3, 4 Better lock your door


	4. He's got his eye on you

I begrudgingly returned to the Shack, angry at the entire situation. It wasn’t my fault people we’re dying around here. Hopefully Stan wouldn’t mind me staying another night, or until they opened the roadblock. They couldn’t legally trap us in here, at least I didn’t think they could. Entrapment maybe? Law wasn’t my strong suit. I’d see if there was a computer when I got there, look up some stuff about it and then bully my way out of this place with the information. The town was just as deserted as before and it was only a few minutes until I pulled up the drive, parking in the exact same place as before. There was no hesitation this time as I approached the screen door and knocked loudly. A minute or so passed with no response and I thumped on the door again, sighing in exasperation. I knew it was rude but I was so mad.  

“I’M COMIN, I’M COMIN!” Stan’s voice floated out from the house and I felt a little guilty. He sounded sleepy. The door was yanked open and his face was all anger. I sheepishly crossed my arms and couldn’t think of what to say.

“Well well, ya couldn’t get enough of the Ole Stan Pines Charm could ya?” His frown melted away into a grin as he wiggled his eyebrows. I laughed despite myself and shook my head. He had caught me off guard.

“Does that line usually work?” It was the best I could come up with. He shook his head, pretending to be sad.

“If pretty ladies like you were by here more often I’d be able to tell ya. Did it work this time?” A wink accompanied this and now I was rolling my eyes.

“Pick up lines don’t work on me. Sorry.” I thought a moment and decided it was enough banter. “I was wondering if another night’s stay would be alright? The roads in and out of town are blocked by some government guys saying no one can leave.” Stan immediately looked startled and I shrugged.

“It seems like they’re here in regards to the people dying situation. So if you’re not killing people, you’re probably okay.” He seemed to relax a little and I idly wondered why that would concern him. He seemed like a weird dude though and I wasn’t going to put too much thought into it.

“I hope they don’t have the roads down too long. Tourism is what this town lives on! But yea, you can stay as many nights as you need. Free of charge too, not your fault you’re stuck here.” He rubbed at his eyes for a moment and turned, starting to walk inside. I followed him without question, walking the same path as the night before.

“Hopefully it’s just one night and I can be out of your hair.” I really didn’t like the idea of encroaching on him too long, especially for free. I wasn’t what you would consider well-off though and wasn’t going to argue the point.

He turned back and grinned at me. “Maybe if you stay long enough I can find out what does work on you.” That wink again. I blushed, surprisingly, and laughed. I couldn’t remember the last time someone actively flirted with me. We made it to the couch and he yawned, gesturing towards it. The blankets were still there from a few hours prior and I turned to sit. Stan was already halfway out of the room.

“Thanks again!” He nodded, not looking back.

“Sure thing doll.”

I felt myself blush again and then remembered telling him not to call me that. It didn’t seem to bother me as much now though. The attention was kind of nice. Especially after being so upset. Sleep wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon even though it was almost midnight. I got up and went out to my car, grabbing a large tote bag and lugging it back. I had at least a couple books to pass the time with and reading helped put me to sleep. It took almost half an hour but finally I started to doze off. Almost immediately I slipped into dream land.

________________________________________________________________________-

 

Eyes loomed in the distance, hiding behind the trees. They watched as the man and woman went inside finally, after talking for much too long. Breathing heavily, excited for a taste of their fear, he had almost pounced then. Stealth wasn’t his favorite thing, theatrics being a much more enjoyable way to strike fear. Instead he waited a bit longer, and was grateful for that. The woman came back out, rummaging around in an old car. The voices were whispering in his head again, yammering. Kill her. Skin her. Eat her heart. He fought the voices, humming with energy and fiddling with his large dagger. Symbols were carved up and down the blade, triangles, eyes, runes. He watched her go back inside and listened closely for the lock to engage. It never did, or at least he didn’t hear it. Giggling, he moved forward through the tall grass, stepping in the warm dirt. A light clicked on through one of the windows and he climbed the steps slowing, knowing where every creak was and avoiding them. Following along the planks he reached the window, moving just enough to see into the room. The woman was laid out on the couch, chewing on her bottom lip and reading a large book. She looked so rested. He wanted to change that so badly. This place hadn’t been interesting until watching her drive all the way here from town. An outsider. A pretty outsider that he could pull fear and pain out of in every disgusting way possible. The women were so much sweeter. He crept backwards towards the front door and put his hand on the knob, pulling it open quickly. He should wait until she goes to sleep, but the whispers were getting so loud, that one voice with it’s terrible cutting edge was getting so loud and telling him over and over to kill her. The door creaked and he winced at the sound, letting it close back and scampering down the stairs. He hid beneath the porch, holding his breath and hoping she wouldn’t come and investigate. He only made the mistake of letting his victim have the upper hand once and she had almost killed him. He wouldn’t make it again. It would have to be another night. He crept back towards the woods, hungry and preparing to find someone in town to convince back to his home with him. The young girls were always so easy to convince. Now the Feds had shut down the roads in and out, making everything so much easier for him. They would never find out who he was.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey sweets, you look like ya have had a rough day.” Stan was behind me, rubbing hard on my shoulders. It felt so good. I nodded and made a small noise when he moved up to my neck.

“Lemme help ya relax.” He whispered in my ear and I smiled, loving his touch. His hands were moving over my shoulders now, arms slipping past mine and squeezing me delightfully. Those hands grabbed my chest suddenly and roughly, causing a gasp to escape me. His fingers began running circles, pinching lightly and I moved my body back against him. He was hard against me and and I moved a hand back, rubbing down him and feeling his hot breath shudder on my neck just before he bit down. I moaned, in no way quiet now.

“Oh Stan..” I reached my other arm up, hooking it around his neck. His mouth moved up to my ear.

“Hey lady….” Smiling I ran a hand through his hair, gripping him through his pants and pulling him closer.

“Hey Lady!” His voice took on a shrill tone and got louder. I lost my smile and looked up into his face, handsome, strong cheek bones, dreamy eyes. He smiled down at me.

“HEY LADY!” My eyes jumped open, startled, and I almost fell off the couch. A small girl stood in front of me, eyes wide and smile large, and I jumped back quickly. A dream. It had been one heck of a weird dream.

“Who are you?” The child looked like she had consumed way more caffeine than necessary.

“I’m a friend of Stan’s. He let me stay the night because uhm…I was too tired to drive.” I didn’t know what to say to her and honestly, I was still recovering from that dream. Going from that to a pre-teen in your face took some time. She nodded along happily as if she already knew everything I was saying.

“Yeah yeah, Grunkle Stan told us we weren’t allowed to wake you up but you slept FOREVER!” She shouted the last bit which startled me. “I’m Mable by the way. My brother Dipper is around here somewhere but he’s weird anyways.”

 “That’s funny. My little brother was pretty weird too.” The kid seemed pretty okay, better as she calmed down. Her sweater was cute too, heavy hand stitching visible in a few places.

 “You make that sweater yourself?”

 “Yep! I love sweaters!” Mable grinned and backed up a little bit. “I was just going to go make one actually but I saw you sleeping and I think you were having a bad dream because you were being like, super noisy.”

 I turned red immediately and nodded. “Yeah I have pretty scary dreams some times! Thanks for saving me!” She eyed me cursorily before shrugging.

 “No problem! Wanna come help me make a sweater?” I considered and thought about how I needed to check on the road situation and that it probably hadn’t changed.

 “That sounds fun but do you think I could grab a shower first? I’m pretty stinky.” It wasn’t a lie either. This was day 3 of no shower. She giggled at that and nodded.

 “Sure! There’s one upstairs and there’s one in Grunkle Stan’s room.” I smiled and thanked her, standing and stretching. A shower was just what I needed. I thought about asking where Stan was but decided it could wait. I picked up my tote bag and climbed upstairs, the young girl following me and chattering the whole way up.


	5. A Face Closer to Home

“WENDY! Wendy stop it! NO!” He gasped in between her tickles. His older sister laughed and laughed, only stopping when she saw a large shadow fall over the both of them. Wendy rolled to the side, sitting on the freshly mowed grass and smiled up at her father. There was no hulking figure that looked quite like his. The giant man, made almost purely of muscle towered over them, a frown gracing his already intense features. Gus jumped up and held his arms up, jumping against his father. Dan stared down at him and then chuckled, the smile lighting up his face, and picked the young boy up, swinging him around. Gus screamed in glee and Wendy stood up, dusting off her jeans. Maybe a couple of weeks out in the woods with these weirdos wouldn’t be so bad. Her dad was paying some lady from the town over to watch the house too so that was pretty cool, they didn’t have to put the cats in a kennel this time.

An older boy, close to Wendy’s age, walked out of the house and shook his head at the other three.

“Lazy bums! Help us pack up!” As soon as the words left his mouth Kevin, older and smarter than all but Wendy, dashed to hide behind the station wagon. Dan whipped around, dropping Gus who Wendy was already prepared to catch and roared.

“WHICH ONE A’YA IS RUNNIN DERE MOUTH?!” If voices could shake the ground you stand on then Dan’s certainly would. Gus had covered his ears and Wendy winced, having no hands to do the same thing. Instead they moved away from their father’s fury and finished packing up. Wendy slammed the door to the trunk just as her brother was sneaking around the side and she narrowed her eyes at him. There was payback to be had here from the ants in the bed trick he had played on her.

“OH KEVIN?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER HERE?!” She shouted dramatically. He shushed her loudly and looked around in a wild way, waiting for his father’s footsteps. Manly Dan was quiet as a mouse though, when he wanted to be, and it wasn’t until he was directly behind Kevin that he decided to rise up.

“KEVVVVVINNNN!”

Wendy’s brother screamed loudly and jumped up, attempting to run. He was grabbed by the collar and slung back. Thus another day for the Corduroy family.

* * *

 

The shower was everything I needed and more. The hot water seemed to last forever and they even had several choices of soaps and shampoo. That must have been the young girl’s doing. Mable had kept me in the bathroom doorway for better than 5 minutes chattering about this and that, her brother and her grunkle. What a funny word. I finally told her that I was going to die of being too stinky. She snorted and nodded, skipping back towards what I assumed was her room. As far as guest bathrooms went, this one was amazing. I toweled off and slipped into some new clothes, jeans and a black t-shirt, finally leaving the steam filled room. The hallway was empty but I could hear muffled voices from downstairs and followed the sound.

The voices were coming from the store front area that we had walked through the first night I stayed. Stan was there, dressed in that suit and red cap, along with the boy version of Mable. What was his name again? Daniel? Dennis? There was also a very large man who looked like he might still live at home. A giant question mark hung on his green shirt, one that seemed to be reoccurring among the merchandise. I tried to take everything in but it was a bit much in one go. Stan saw me and waved happily.

“Hello! Welcome to the Mystery Shack! Might I interest you in our wares?!” He proclaimed, spinning a cane around and then pointing towards the rack. I couldn’t help but laugh it was so cheesy.

He raised his eyebrows at me, wiggling them and I laughed again.

“Perhaps the beautiful lady needs a hat to go along with her outfit?” He grabbed a ridiculous looking cowboy hat with googly eyes glued on.

“Do-Does it come with the eyes?” I asked in between laughs.

Stan looked confused for a moment and then looked at the hat displayed in his hand, just now realizing it had eyes on it.

“MABLE!!!” He roared and that sent the younger boy and man into fits of laughter as well. There was no response from the other room and our giggles tapered off while Stan tried to pry the googly eyes off, grumbling.

I approached the boy with the blue hat and smiled.

“Hi there, your sister told me your name but I can’t quite seem to remember it.” I felt a little bad about not remembering but all of this was pretty new to me too. A girl could get used to it though, not always being on the road, on the run.

The boy narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

“What if you’re the person going around murdering people and once I tell you my name ILL BE NEXT!” He shouted the last bit and I took a small step back.

“Chill out kid, I’m not killing anyone okay. Anyways why would a killer need to know your name to, ya know, kill you?” This kid seemed really intense. He seemed to mull it over a moment before shrugging and sticking his hand out to shake.

“I’m Dipper Pines!” His voice squeaked slightly as he spoke and he coughed, starting again in a deeper voice. I suppressed a smile. “You’ve already met my sister Mable?”

“Yeah she woke me up.” I was still a little frustrated at that situation. Though it made me feel kinda weird too.

He nodded in response. “Yeah she does stuff like that.” Dipper eyed me one more time. “Nice to meet you!” He exclaimed before quickly exiting the room.

I walked over to Stan and shook my head. “You’ve got a weird family.” Stan nodded, still trying to pry glue off.

“So do you think I should try the roadblocks again?” I was still really itching to get out of here, no matter how nice it was. Stan shook his head, finally looking up.

“I talked to the guys in town this morning, went down fer some more food. They said they’re not letting anyone in or out. Not even the delivery trucks.” He sighed and gave up on the hat.

“But you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.” He smiled and my heart stuttered for just a moment. I guess it wouldn’t be that bad.

* * *

 

The rest of the day continued on without much fuss. The roadblocks were definitely still in place and the FBI or whoever they were wouldn’t give us any information. I was shown around town a bit and the streets were much busier now with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We ate at the diner again and now that I had company of town folk with me they seemed much kinder. Stan hadn’t had a problem closing up shop. He’d only had a few people in that day and those were people who had been there before and didn’t buy his tricks. They usually just stopped by to say hello. One of these was a strange man by the name of Toby. He seemed to sweat a lot and complain even more. At one point while we were walking Stan had thrown his arm around my shoulders and I hadn’t stopped him. Affection was strange but nice. We walked past a large blue tent and Dipper and Mable told me the story of Gideon and how awful he was. Apparently he was in prison now.

“Can they really put someone that young in prison with adults?” I had never heard of something like that. Stan looked at me strangely and then shrugged.

“Small towns I guess. Around here there arn’t any kids prisons cause we don’t much have kids go crazy like that one.”

I guess that made sense.

We finally started walking back up the path towards the Mystery Shack, tired of the nosey townfolk. Or at least I was tired of the nosey townfolk. They had a hundred questions for me and it was finally Stan that gently steered me in the direction of the path towards his home. This particular time it had been a woman in a powersuit, who looked made up for TV. She had asked me about 5 times where I was from and wasn’t seeming to understand I wasn’t going to tell her.

“Well Shandra we really gotta get goin, kids and what not back at home!” Stan winked at her and she shuddered, shaking her head.

“Maybe Ill just stop by later and we can talk some more.” She really wasn’t going to quit. I opened my mouth to say something but Stan cut me off.

“Well it would be a shame if you did because the Mystery Shop is gonna be closed until these roadblocks get lifted so you’d be met with a locked door.” He smiled at her this time but it looked a bit more like barring his teeth. Apparently these too weren’t friendly.

He explained the tension as we began up the path and she had finally gone away. A man in Stan’s business didn’t like the press and the press didn’t like him, always trying to expose his tricks and run reports on his life. He couldn’t stand it. I laughed, agreeing completely. I couldn’t stand some that pried too much.

“Well maybe next tim-”

“SOMEBODY COME QUICK! HELP!” There was screaming somewhere behind us. We all turned and saw an older woman running down the street, gray hair flying and green dress ripped. Stan looked at me sternly.

“Stay with the kids and stay where I can see you.” He ran towards the woman and I huddled the kids a little closer. He seemed so intense, it made my heart stutter just like it had this morning.

Stan approached her quickly, people starting to walk out of their homes to see what was happening.

“Mrs. Gleeful, hey what’s goin on?” He tried to sound soothing but the woman kept looking around wildly, mumbling for someone to help.

“Mrs. Gleeful. MRS…..CARLA!” That got her attention quickly. She stared up at Stan and tears were running down the crevices in her cheeks.

“Stanley?” She asked in confusion. Stan looked a little concerned, pulling at his collar.

“It’s Stanford, Mrs. Gleeful. What’s going on?”

“Oh it’s awful, it’s terrible. Come quick, it’s BUD.” She wailed the last bit, her husband’s name, and started running towards their home. Stan was quick to follow along with several others. Toby was in the back of the group, slamming numbers into his cell phone. He put it up to his ear and stared for a moment.

“The phones are down.”

But no one could hear him over crowd.


	6. Left Alone

Following the crowd led us to a cozy looking cottage right in the middle of town. I looked around and didn’t see any police, or any emergency workers at all for that matter. The woman was pulling Stan towards the house, crying now and demanding they go inside. He didn’t seem to be budging.

“Now Carla if what yer saying is true we’ve got no business goin in there until the Sheriff gets here.” He was speaking very softly, the sound just a murmur under the other’s combined voice. She beat at his hand a few times, trying to pull away before weakly collapsing against his broad chest.

“My Buuuuud….” She wailed against him and Stan rubbed her back gently, shooting me a pained look. His gaze dropped to the children and widened, making a shooing gesture. The twins were being jostled around by the mass of people, their eyes wide and a bit fearful. Slim arms were held around each other would’ve been cute had the circumstances been different, but here it made them look wounded. I grabbed onto Mable’s shoulder, feeling more comfortable with her, and led them outside of the group. It was better out of view but the wails still carried quite well.

“Maybe we should go back up to the Shack guys?” I was at a loss for what else to do. I didn’t have anything helpful to offer to the situation and the crowd was too big to begin with. Dipper shook his head aggressively.

“Not without Grunkle Stan.” His voice wavered a little bit and I didn’t blame him. Being alone up there with just the kids seemed kinda unnerving. I wished I had never come to this awful town.

“I don’t like it as much as you kid, but down here we’re just in the way. And Stan is busy handling that…” I gestured back towards the house. I wasn’t trying to seem insensitive but I didn’t want to deal with the cops once they got here for sure. Police and I had never seemed to get along well.

Mable bit at her bottom lip and sighed.

“Bro Bro maybe we should go back…I wanna check on Waddles.” She smiled up at me and I made a mental note to thank her later for being on my side.

Dipper stared at her intensely and then shrugged.

“Fine we will go check on your dumb pig.”

She punched him in the shoulder and he winced, grinning a bit.

“Don’t call Waddles dumb! He is a sophisticated little bacon pillow!”

I laughed softly and then shushed the two, trying to remind them of the situation. They nodded in unison and turned in the direction of home. I cast a glance back at Stanley, over the crowd, but he was staring towards the house, speaking softly to the woman.

The kids and I began to climb up towards home, the sloping road catching my breath quite easily. We we're mostly quiet, even Mable the chatter box that she usually was. The tension in the air was heavy. It felt like something big....something very big....was coming and there was nothing we could do to stop it. And I was stuck in this stupid town, now caring for two children. How did I even get into this? Should've just slept in my car on the side of the highway. Nothing to fix it now though. The Mystery Shack was in sight and I tried to cheer the mood up. 

"Hey, we're almost there! Is there anything you guys want to do while we wait for Stan?" Maybe we could put on a movie or something.

"Lock the doors." Dipper said matter of factly and I almost rolled my eyes. It took a real effort not to. 

"Yes, we will definitely do that. No reason to be unsafe." I chewed my lip for a moment, secretly worried. Could I protect these kids if something happened? 

"Let's play a board game!" Mable declared and I perked up at that. 

"That sounds perfect." 

Dipper even appeared to brighten at that. I opened the screen door and let them scurry in under my arm. 

"Maybe I can finally get you to play D, D and More D!" He declared to Mable and his sister mimicked vomiting noises. 

"There's no way I'm playing Homework: The Game! How about we play Calling all Boys: Preteen Edition?" Now it was Dipper's turn to feign disgust. I smiled at the two, locking the door behind me and then double checking the lock just in case.

"How about we play cards?" I offered up and the two looked at me. Finally Dipper shrugged and nodded, walking over to the kitchen table.

"Grunkle Stan's been teaching us how to bluff! I've got a mean poker face." Mable made a very angry face and I laughed. Kids were crazy. It made me miss my little brother. 

We spent the next hour and a half playing cards and unbelievably Mable was fantastic at them. We we're playing with fake tokens and she was holding more than half of them. I was about to give up and make her the house dealer when Dipper let out a massive yawn. I looked over at my shoulder and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. That seemed like a good enough time for bed.

"Okay guys, let's wrap it up. You all need to get ready for bed." Dipper didn't put up any protest but Mable stuck out her bottom lip, eyes growing wide.

"But I'm winning!" She grabbed an armful of tokens and pulled them tightly towards herself. 

"I tell ya what kiddo, we can keep playing tomorrow? But for now I'm tired too." I hadn't really thought about it but I was pretty beat. We had walked an awful lot today and all that craziness from earlier was overwhelming. I was curious how long Stan might be...and ready to hear the story of what happened if he was willing to tell it. 

Mable and Dipper began to trudge up the stairs and I heard sounds coming from the bathroom. Great, I didn't have to force them into teeth brushing and what not. After several minutes of doors opening and closing and heavy footsteps everything finally quieted. I walked around the house, checking any doors that I knew led to the outside. It was particularly creepy walking through the shop in the dark but I couldn't find the light switch and the white glow from the vending machine cast strange shadows. Every lock got relocked though. I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep until Stan got home anyways so I settled in on the couch and turned the TV on. Some soap opera was the only thing interesting on other than scary movies and it just wasn't the night for scary stuff. 

I quickly became engrossed in the show, curious what the duchess would do when she found out the baron was with another woman. Over the noise of the TV there was a sound. I strained my ears to hear what it was but it seemed to stop. Biting my bottom lip in worry I tried to ignore the curiosity and settle back into the show. As soon as my attention started to slip back I heard the noise again. Quickly I smashed the mute button on the remote and caught the end of a scratching noise. It seemed to be coming from the front door, just to the left of the living room. Shivering I stood and made my way over to the door. The scratching sound started up again, making me jump. 

"Fuck..." The word slipped out of me breathlessly but as soon as it had the sound stopped. There was no peephole in the door, something that seemed very important in the moment. I stood in front of the door for 5, then 10 minutes, waiting for the sound. Nothing happened. I finally took in a huge breath of air and grabbed the door knob, unlocking the door with the other hand and pulling it open aggressively. There was nothing but the front porch and then darkness beyond it. Nobody or nothing at the front door. I sighed and then closed the door again, leaning shakily against it. I was all wound up over nothing. Pacing through the front hallway to try and lower my nerves, I flipped a couple of light switches on. Being able to see more made it a little less frightening. I was on my 8th circle around the room when the scratching started up again. This time I yelped before slapping a hand over my mouth. Waking the kids would be a terrible decision. I stared at the door, listening to the scrape of something against the wood and desperately wishing there was someone else here with me other than the kids. I didn't realize I had been backing down the hallway slowly until my back hit the wood and another small sound escaped me. The scratching hadn't stopped, in fact it seemed louder now, and I grabbed the nearest door and went inside. The cool air rushed my face immediately and I could smell Stan's cologne. Of course, this was his room. He had briefly gestured to it while giving the tour. I looked around, deciding not to turn on the light for fear it would alert whatever was outside. Instead I crept over to the curtains and pulled them tight, letting my eyes grow used to the darkness slowly. Once I could see a bit more I crawled over to his bed and climbed under the covers. When he got back I would go back to the couch but in the mean time this felt much safer. 

 

* * *

 

Stan had long since handed off Carla to some of the woman of the crowd to be taken care of. Toby had approached him once he was able to get through the crowd and told him the phones were dead but no one else would listen. 

"Do ya think the lines are down?" Stan didn't think this at all but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Toby shook his head slowly and pointed towards the state police that were crawling all over the house now.

"If I had to guess.." He replied in that nasally voice and Stan nodded in agreement. He had been in the home briefly before the police had gotten there and was fine with never seeing a situation like that again. Bud, or what was left of him, had been arranged into a triangle. Blood smeared across the white carpet had drawn an eye out and a circle around the limbs. His head hadn't been anywhere in sight which made it just a bit more horrific. Symbols were painted over the walls, symbols that he had only seen once and that was in a book. There was a single eyeball, long stem still dangling, that sat in the center of the limbs, atop the blood, slim slowly congealing to it's surface. Stan's stomach had rolled hard after realizing what it was and that was when he stumbled out of the scene. Shortly there after the sheriff and his deputy arrive and he began to discuss everything that was going on with them. From what they had to say they were no where closer to figuring out who was committing these crimes, even with the state police cutting off the entries and exits to town. 

"Now Blubs, what's this about the phone lines bein down?" Stan had a pretty good reputation with these two. The sheriff only shrugged. 

"It's nothing we know about. We've been having to do all of our talk over the radios." He gestured back towards the car and the deputy was speaking into a radio at that moment, probably to dispatch. 

"This is a mess...I understand the state police but feds now too?" Stan shuddered a little. "Something is weird here." 

Blubs shook his head and put a hand on Stan's shoulder. "Stay out of it Pines. Just duck your head low, follow the curfew and keep that new girl close. A lot of people are going to accuse the ones not from around here." 

Stan eyed him for a moment. "I don't even know 'er. She rolled in and needed a place to stay." He shrugged and Blubs crossed his arms. 

"Well let's hope you didn't take in someone dangerous. Especially not with those kids." 

Stan waved him off and started to walk away, tired of the conversation already. Speaking of the kids he needed to get back home to them. This was when the state police had pulled up, all sirens and noise, getting the townsfolks riled up again. Behind those patrol cars were two unmarked black SUVs, surely the Feds that they had just spoken about. Stan was beginning to become legitimately concerned about the isolation the government was throwing down upon them. He wished that he had someone to discuss all of this with but there was no one in town he felt like was his friend. Other than Soos but Soos was much more like the kids than an adult to confide in. He slowly began the trek up to the shack when the bar nearby caught his eye. It had been a very long night.

* * *

 

I was fast asleep by the time Stan got back to the house. He staggered a bit climbing the front porch stairs and took more than a few tries getting his key into the lock. After finally making it inside, he slid his back against the door and slowly pushed it closed, waiting for the soft click. He stepped softly past the living room, losing his balance only once and snuck a glance towards the couch. His wavering eyes saw a lump of blankets on the couch and nodded, smiling. Running a hand along the wall, he made it back to his room without incident. By the time the door was shut behind him he was already pulling off the suit tie and jacket, followed by stripping the belt off. Halfway to the bed his pants and shirt were coming off and he hit the mattress hard, getting tangled up. I woke immediately and sat up, scrubbing a hand through my hair. 

"Oh Stan I'm sorry...I got spooked an-" I trailed off and looked down at him, an almost completely naked man and blushed heavily. He tilted his head to the side and grinned in a lopsided manner. 

"No nee-uh-ed to apooologize Tootsy!" He slurred and hiccuped once. I laughed, not able to dismiss the blush, and crossed my arms.

"You're very drunk." Whatever fear I had had before melted away, so happy to have someone else, even a drunk older man, as company. I scooted to the end of the bed and stood up, straightening my shirt. He shook his head, standing as well and stepping out of the wrapped up pants. 

"I'll head on to the couch, sorry again. You're gonna feel awful in the morning." I laughed again and stepped away. Drunk or not his hand quickly caught my wrist, pulling me back towards him. My heart caught in my throat for a moment before I stopped resisting and took the extra step between us.

"Yoou don't hafta go." His face was very close to mine and I could smell whiskey on his breath. He was warm but his gaze was bright and clear. I could feel my heartbeat hammering hard and lifted  a hand, splaying it against his chest. His mouth moved closer, breath hot against me and I lifted up to bridge the gap. I expected the kiss to be aggressive but instead he pulled me close, mouth closed over mine and one hand moving to run through my hair. It felt wonderful. He pulled me even closer still, other hand moving to the small of my back until my body was almost completely melded against his. He pulled his mouth away slightly and smiled, suddenly pulling us both back into the bed. I yelped quietly and then began to laugh. 

"Stay with me tonight." 


	7. Stalking

When I woke up the room was still dark, barely any sunlight filtering in through the curtains, though I wasn’t sure if that was because it was very early or the window being blocked completely. Stan lay next to me, warm and morning-time soft, snoring heavily. I stretched my arms first then legs, feeling better rested than I had in weeks. After Stan had kissed me last night and pulled me on top of him, I had very firmly told him that nothing was going to happen. I still wasn’t sure about anything in this situation and sex was just going to confuse that. He had grumbled a bit and finally settled on asking me to be his “cuddle buddy” for the night. I almost teased him about it but his eyes had already been shutting and it seemed like a moot point. Besides the bed was more comfortable than the couch. I had slid my body next to his, laying an arm across his broad chest and was surprised when he rolled me closer. His arm wrapped around my side and moved slowly along my back, brushing the skin softly. I couldn’t even begin to remember the last time someone had held me like this. I felt his lips again, this time pressed against my forehead lightly and had a moment to be shocked. I didn’t know what was more disorienting, sex or this very sudden sweetness. I opted to not do anything in return, which must have not bothered Stan because he laid his head against mine and was taking deep, slumbering inhales before too long. It had taken a very long time to go to sleep after that. I had no idea what I was doing in a situation like this, except for being stuck. This was the kind of situation I was running away from, the small town settled life. And here I was stepping into an actual version of the Notebook meets True Crime. I chewed on my bottom lip, moving slightly to get more comfortable and pressing my body closer into his. It sucked to admit but I was kinda homesick. Missed my dad and the farm and Ethan most of all, with his sweet cornflower hair and big blue eyes. Tears started to well in my eyes and I pressed them way angrily. That didn’t matter. I couldn’t be sad about it anymore. Just keep running away and it would never catch me. It was with that thought that I had fallen asleep.

 Movement caught my eye and I quickly pulled myself from the recounting of the night before. Stan was beginning to stir, grumpily opening one eye and peering around the room.

 “Iss too bright in ‘ere.” He grumbled and put a hand on his head. I smirked and moved to sit up, happy that I wasn’t experiencing the pain he likely was.

 “Told you that you drank too much.” I smiled as the words left my mouth, not feeling the least bit sorry for him. He tipped his head towards me and opened both eyes now, seeming to forget the pain, at least briefly.

 “Oh, hey there darlin. I uh, had forgotten you were ‘ere. Not that I forgot about you in those words…” He trailed off and attempted to lift his head off the pillow. This elicited a loud groan and soft flop. “God why did I do this…..”

 “Want something for that headache?” I asked, trying to keep my voice quiet. He nodded into the pillow and I chuckled, slowly sliding off the mattress. My bare feet stuck sightly to the hardwood floors, leaving warm imprints that were very faint as I made my way to the living room. My handy travelling bag, an olive green, sat next to the couch, right where I had left it. I pulled a bottle of medicine out the front pouch and meandered into the kitchen. It took a few moments to find a glass for water. While I was filling it from the tap I happened to look up into the yard. There was a flash of something, color, maybe gold, from behind the trees at the edge of the grass. I squinted in that direction, trying to see what it was. My eyesight wasn’t the best in the world and just beyond the treeline I saw a lump. The water had begun to spill over on my hand but that seemed very far away. The lump was starting to form into something, the image slowly making sense to me. There was more color now, red all around the small lump. It was so hard to tell through the slight darkness of the canopy. The glass slipped out of my hand and hit the sink hard, a loud shatter sounding. A body. It was a body.

 “Stan…” I meant to yell but the word barely slipped out of my mouth. A body. A small body. There was no mistaking it now, the blood spill obvious as the sun rose, always surprising on how quickly it brought light onto the land. I heard Stan call my name from the other room but I felt frozen in place.

"Stan." It's like my tongue wasn't working. Like it had simply forgotten how to work. There was a soft thump from the other room and the sound of footsteps down the hallway now. The sound of the faucet running was almost deafening. I became bleakly aware that I might be fainting as the room seemed to sway side to side. The water began to sound like buzzing, static inside my brain. Suddenly there were arms around me and Stan's voice in my ear.

"Hey, hey what's goin on?" The world settled back into place slowly. I closed my eyes once it felt safe enough to do so and rubbed them hard. The heat that had drained away from my face was now rising again, making the room very hot and I pulled away from Stan. I smacked the sink handle down with one hand and opened my eyes, staring hard out the window. The sun had risen enough to completely illuminate the lump beyond the trees now and there was no mistake of it being a body.

"Oh Stan..." I lifted a wavering finger and he followed it's point, giving a gasp. His reaction to the situation turned out to be better than mine, spinning on his heels and running into the living room.

"DIPPER! MABLE!" His voice boomed through the house as he threw the door open hard enough to bounce off the wall beyond it. The screen door wasn't as lucky and snapped clean at it's top hinge with a loud crack that didn't seem to register to Stan at all. I followed after him, into the living room and watched him race into the yard. My eyes were drawn to the wooden door and almost immediately began to fill with tears. Deep grooves were etched into the wood, scratched markings surrounding the words.

'I see you' Carved in ugly letters and painted over with what my heart knew wasn't paint. A large eye was drawn underneath this, staring forward endlessly.

"Oh god...oh no..." My knees began to buckle and I felt the grayness return to the outskirts of my vision. This couldn't be happening. A sleepy voice sounded from the top of the stairs, startling me badly enough to elicit a shriek.

"Grunkle Stan...?" Dipper yawned loudly and looked around for his great uncle. I stared up at him, relieved and concerned in the same breath.

"Dipper, where is your sister?" The question came out much more frantically than I meant it and I attempted to calm my racing mind, taking a deep breath in and out. There was an ugly monster running around in my head ready to cause as much panic as possible and this situation called for being level.

"Huh? Oh I dunno. She's not up here. What's on the door?" He was halfway down the stairs now and I found enough strength to run over to the bottom of them.

"Go back upstairs. Now. Lock your door." I couldn't think of anything else to tell him to do. The threat could still be there and we had to find Mable. Dipper looked at me strangely, not making any moves in either direction. "NOW!" I didn't want to shout, honestly didn't really mean to, but the panic monster was running circles now and I couldn't stop it. He jumped in surprise and turned, bounding up the stairs. I steadied myself once more and walked out the front door, skirting the house quickly. Stan was kneeled over on the ground next to the lump and appeared to be saying something though it was too mumbled to make out.

"Stan?" I was scared to get any closer, scared of what it might be. Scared of seeing Mable's sweet young face covered in blood, eyes dead in their sockets, tongue lolled ou-

"Hey doll. Don't come over 'ere if yer squimish." He muttered something else towards the body and stood slowly, coming over to me. I tried to crane my neck past him to see but Stan only shook his head and grabbed me by the chin, keeping my gaze on him.

"It's Mable's pig. Someone's gutted it but he's not....he's still alive. I dunno how but I've gotta take care of 'em. Did ya find the kids? They need to be inside." He had a look of grim understanding on his face and I couldn't help but wonder how he was remaining so calm.

"I made Dipper lock himself into their room but he said Mable's not up there."  I looked around as if hoping to see her suddenly appear. Stan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and seemed to think for a moment.

"Check the entire house. She has to be here." Nodding, I turned to walk away but not before sneaking another glance towards the body. The poor pig was heaving softly, covered in it's own grim and gore. I wished I hadn't looked at it.

It didn't take long to find Mable seeing as her brother had already been hunting around and found her curled under her bed, stating she had a nightmare. As if there was a cosmic force working against us the first thing out of her mouth was asking where Waddles was.

"Sweetie your Grunkle will be in soon. We have to stay locked in here until then okay?" With the sun out it didn't seem as unsafe out there but this was clearly a warning. It became suddenly apparent that this might be happening because of me. The lady from the diner had said that the killer was targeting outsiders. Maybe I should be a bit more focused on getting out of this town not just for my sake. Her pig was dead and it was likely because of me.

"But Waddles could be in danger too! I have to keep him SAFE!" As the young girl shouted the last word a gun shot rang through the air, punctuating the statement. Mable screamed in surprise and I felt the blood drain from my face. I didn't realize that's what he meant by taking care of him. Oh god. Dipper ran to my side and clutched at my arm like a young child. Mable had begun to cry, confused and scared.

"Come here honey." I held my arm out to her and she scooted over to where I was. We all sat down together right there in the floor.

* * *

Stan looked down at the pig, a large fan of blood sprayed across the grass behind its head and heaved. At last second he moved his head to the side and lost what very little was in his stomach there. The little runt might have been annoying but Mable loved the hell out of it and this was....awful. Once he was able to calm his rolling stomach, no easy task, he walked into the living room and collected the quilt off the back of the couch. It would be a good size for wrapping up the body and then they could talk about burying it. It wouldn't be a good idea to let his great niece see how Waddles had met his end. He picked up the blanket, grimacing at how similar the size was to a baby, and walked to the shed in the back. Struggling to get the door open, Stan finally unlatched it and was greeted with a blast of cool air. He nestled the little package against the wall, sighing heavily and scrubbing a hand over his face. A shower sounded nice. A drink sounded even nicer. After securing the latch back on the tin door he moved to sit on the front steps. Somebody needed to figure out what was going on around here.


	8. The Story Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't honestly think he will save you?

 The funeral for the pig was hard to stomach, Mable being distraught during parts and calm for others. Stan had prepared a tiny grave for her pet, a rock from the surrounding woods working as a place marker. Once they had all said something sweet about Waddles it came time to lower him into the ground. Mable quickly became inconsolable, screaming -and trying to grab onto his body. I held onto her tightly, feeling her small body shake and sighed heavily. What an awful thing to go through. As quickly as possible I swept her into my arms and walked inside to the kitchen, her sobs already soaking my shoulder. Once inside I tried to talk her into making dinner with me, maybe baking something, but nothing could help her aching heart. Eventually she just decided that sleep was better than anything else going on and walked upstairs without another word. I bit at my bottom lip worriedly before turning back to the food. The boys would be hungry at least.

Stan and Dipper came in a short while later, dirty and very sweaty. It took them longer than I expected and I had to reheat some of the food. Stan had dirt on the side of his face and looked more than a little tired. Haggard might have been the word.

"Grunkle Stan, I'm gonna go take a shower." Dipper's voice squeaked a little when he said that but he didn't seem to notice. Stan nodded and put a hand on the boys shoulder, squeezing affectionately. Such a small gesture but I smiled at it no less. Dipper walked off towards the staircase, head hung slightly. 

"Stan..." I turned towards him and sighed heavily. He looked at me hard for a moment, eyes a bit glossy, and then softened, stepping forward slowly before finally collapsing against me. I gasped softly and wrapped my arms around him, feeling his chin resting on my shoulder, still wet. We sat that way for a moment, his grimy hands finding their way around me and holding tightly. He made small sounds, as if crying, but I made no move to comfort. It was so hard to tell what he needed in this moment...I barely knew the man. 

"Why?" The word hung in the room for a moment and I just didn't know how to answer it. Would they be going through this if I wasn't here? I squinted my eyes against the thought and hugged Stan tighter. 

"It's going to get better. They are going to figure this out." He sighed against me and shook his head, pulling away. 

"I don't think so doll. These cops don't know what they're doing. I just gotta keep these kids safe. You now too." A sly smile crept back into his expression, bringing me a little relief. I opened my mouth to protest his protection but didn't even get the first word out before he kissed me softly on the forehead.  It was stunning really, the effect he had begun to have on me. At one point in my life I had had many a fling but those had always been quick, passionate and then done. Never a man that wanted to be sweet to me without anything in return. As soon as the moment happened it was over, Stan was pulling away and heading towards the living room.

"Where are you going now?" I knew it was nosy but I was at a loss for what to do myself. Leaving didn't seem like it was going to be an option any time soon and on top of that I couldn't just leave after all this happened. They might need help or an extra set of hands. No I would wait for this situation to blow over and then keep moving towards....whatever I was moving towards. 

He smiled back at me and pointed towards the shop. "I've got some work I need to get done, cold blooded murder or not." With that he walked away, very dramatically. I snorted a little at the theatrics then looked around the kitchen. I guess making dinner would be the next step. Take everything one hour at a time and stay as safe as possible. 

* * *

Stanley made his way down into the basement of the home, clicking the breakers up at the bottom of the stairs to boot everything up. He was behind in his work and was so close to finishing that he could taste it. The last steps were rerouting enough power to make the damn thing run and then finish the sequence of symbols that led to where ever his brother might be. He had the original equation that Stanford must have used the last time he saw him but it took much too long to figure out how to make the portal understand to go there. Last week he had finally gotten the numbers to work and now just had to decode. The power was the bigger issue out of the situation, raising suspicious activity in town was a bad idea in a time like this. It was worth it though...but only if it worked. He sat down at the computer and began to work. It was difficult to focus, his mind racing over a hundred different things. Having Stanford back, Mable's current heartbreak and how well Dipper was holding together for her, this new woman. He felt quite attached to her and couldn't figure out why. It had been a long time since anyone had returned his advances. As the program he was working with became more demanding thoughts of everything else slipped away and Stanley became lost in the numbers. 

* * *

 

A man covered in dirt and grime stood in front of the alter he had built, giggling while muddy fingers pulled against his lips. Traces of blood ran out of his nose, drying against the nostrils and flaking onto the hair beneath it. The table was stark white with smears of black ash across the top, in a circle around a bloody stick on sage. A series of blades were piled among bird feathers and small chicken bones. Several were stained maroon but many more were clean and shiny as if ready to go. It was these that the man finally began picking through, using a single finger to push them around in a circle until he got what he wanted. Several places on his finger began to bleed lightly but he didn't seem to notice. He finally seemed to decide on one in particular, a golden handle with purple stones up and down the hilt. He grinned into the reflection of the blade and laughed into the darkness around him. 

"I want the purty one....the new one with the angry face...." He was whispering now, clutching the blade to his chest, eyes rolling in their sockets. 

"No. Pick another. We leave them alone." A voice echoed through the room and the dirty man held his hands against his ears tightly, tears immediately beginning to leak out of his eyes. 

"I waaaaant her...." The man's voice wailed against the intrusion and he pressed the blade against his cheek, fists now balled into his ears. 

"I said NO!" The voice boomed now and glints of gold rushed in circles around him, gaining speed with every rotation, squeezing into his space. He began to scream. 

"IM SORRY IM SORRY IMSORRYIMSORRY" 

The spinning stopped and the gold colors turned to dust, floating around him. The voice began again, softer now, and a hand reached out of the darkness and caressed the man's face.

"My pet. You belong to me now." It sounded almost loving. "You do as I say, when I say it, and when we're done here I will give you everything you desire. I'm not strong enough yet. You must spill more blood. Stay away from the Pines family." The hand grasped the man's face tightly, fingers heating and beginning to scorch the skin. Tears streamed down his cheeks and whimpers sounded in the back of his throat but he made no move to scream. It would do no good and may only anger the voice. Finally it decided enough was given and released the man, watching him collapse to the ground. 

"Go. Kill more. Do not disobey me again." 

The man nodded and sprinted out of the room, making his way up the ancient staircase that was broken and decayed, mold up the sides of the wall. The house around him was just as bad, roof sunken in over the kitchen and living room, pieces of trash and old food covering the floor. Junk, large appliances and random items lay in large heaps everywhere you look and every bit of it was filthy. The worst had to be the bugs, cockroaches and spiders strung in every corner. It was appalling. The man moved quickly through the narrows hallways, avoiding every piece of junk easily, like a maze. He knew the home well. The front door was off it's hinges, locking was unnecessary, no one bothered him out here, and he breezed through the doorway easily. The bloodlust was massive now, eating away at his brain. He had a brief moment of lucid thought, understanding that an awful virus, a sickness, was inside of him and he had to stop. He had to get help. Just as the thought came the power was pushing it away again, soothing him, threatening him and sending him back into an ugly spiral of darkness. It was something in that moment of understanding that broke the man. 

He sprinted down the street in desperation, the light of day so bright it was making his head ache. 

"Kill kill kill kill kill kill" 

He chanted the words, knowing that he should be safe and take his time, that the bad voice would be so angry if he didn't. He also felt like if he didn't kill right that moment his very being would explode and he would be no more. And the man wanted to live. He widened his crazed eyes and looked around for the next victim. Outsider or not, it didn't matter. An unfortunate man was walking down the street, a very sweaty man that went by the name of Toby. He was punching buttons into the phone while staring at it, giving out a frustrated sigh every now and then. He was still staring at the device when he felt a terrible pain enter his chest. The pain blossomed like fire and he screeched loudly, flailing his arms. The phone dropped from his hand and hit the ground with a sharp crack. The blade pulled out of Toby's right lung and entered again, sliding just under his heart and hitting an artery. He found the ability to scream now and took in a giant breath to beg for help, beg for the pain to stop but was cut short. The knife had slid out again and entered directly into his throat, crunching against the back of his spine with a sickening snap. Toby was dead immediately, unceremoniously. The murderer stepped back, covered in blood, and sunk to his knees. The world shook around him and everything looked gold. Midas himself could not make a world so beautiful.

"Good. Very good my pet."


	9. The Rift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It'll never end ya know...

Stanley sat back in the chair, rubbing his sore back a little and stretching out his limbs. The papers were starting to get hazy before his eyes and the colored sequence on the screen was impossible to focus on but….he smiled a bit at the small scratch sheet of paper in front of him….he might just have finished the dialing code to get this thing going. He had a decent amount of power available from some previous adventures but it didn’t seem like it was going to be enough. A test run was necessary though. If there was even the smallest chance that it would work, ti would be worth it. Stanley pushed back from the chair and gazed almost angrily at the metallic ring.

“You’re going to give him back.” With that he began dialing the symbols into the computer, moving as quickly as he dared to without mixing them up. There were so many options that it would be easy to ruin. As the last part of the sequence was keyed Stanley jumped up from the desk and down the metal staircase into the darkness. The light bulb had burnt out months ago but he hadn’t had the patience to fix it, barely ever going down here. He cursed now loudly as he stumbled into the door at the bottom and began turning the heavy lock to open it. The seconds seemed to audibly click by in his mind, sweat breaking out on his palms and brow. Finally the door squelched open and he moved quickly into the room, straight to the control panel. Blue lever, red button and giant stand in the middle with it’s tiny button. He had rehearsed this a hundred times. The machine was humming now, starting to shake and the lights in the high ceiling were starting to flash.

“Come on girl, you can do this.” Stan mumbled under his breath. He pulled the blue lever and listened to the unit begin to emit a tone similar to a dog whistle. The pitch flew higher and higher and the lights began to blink on and off harder, the building itself seeming to shake in anticipation.

“Yes!” He didn’t give the power up time to finish before smashing his fist onto the red button. The pitch began to screech in his ears, inside his very mind so it seemed, and the lights in the room had begun to strobe like a bad party. His old coffee mug began to float upwards, levitating off the ground, along with papers, pencils, Ford’s glasses, and anything else that was unsecured. Stanley grabbed onto the console and watched as an endless blackness began to form inside the ring, a galaxy within itself that was more beautiful than his mind could comprehend. Purples and blues melded together and he swore he could see stars glittering far away in the distance. The energy from the machine was pulsing now, hitting him in waves of invisible power and knocking everything against the wall. He gave a loud yell, still drowned out by the power around him, and shoved off of the control panel towards the final button. His right hand barely caught it and he began cursing loudly, legs floating up towards the darkness.

“I WIN!” He screamed and pulled his whole body forward, his chest compressing the button down. The world filled with a beautiful vibrancy, light streaming from every direction and burning the very shadows into the walls. As soon as the light began it stopped, energy being sucked out of the room with an audible pop. The lights above him shattered immediately, sprinkling everywhere, and all of the floating items crashed down. Fords glasses skittered along the floor, right frame cracking slightly. Stanley stared at them, bewildered, and turned towards the machine.

“Ford?” The word echoed into the room, devoid of all noise and almost exhausted from the experience. It hadn’t worked.

Stanley felt tears leaking down his cheeks and brushed them away angrily. He was so sure that it would work this time.

“More power….” He muttered and then stood up, wiping dust and grime away. “I just need more power.” He walked calmly towards the large door, up the metallic stairs and up into the shop. His body started to shake as soon as the vending machine closed behind him. 

“It’s not fair…” The words seemed to gasp out, surprising him. He looked towards a shelf of snow globes, picking one up gingerly and staring at it. A tiny Mystery Shack sat in the middle of it, tiny flakes floating in circles around the front porch and picnic tables.

“It’s not fair!” Without another thought he smashed the globe onto the ground, watching it shatter and spray water everywhere. He spun around and swept his arms through the rest of them, muscles flexing hard at last minute and pulling the shelf off the wall as well. The sound was tremendous, making him hunch his shoulders but only grow angrier. He began to push over clothing racks and scream at them about how unfair the world was. About how he wanted his brother back. He tore taxidermy off the wall and stomped on it, put his foot through a giant cardboard cutout of himself and tore the tie off his neck. Stanley finally collapsed to his knees, breathing hard and crying.

I came as soon as I heard the first crash and watched from the doorway as Stan tore apart his own store. It was almost impossible to look away. My body jumped when he took down the entire shelf of trinkets and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Turning quickly I dashed to the bottom and shooed Dipper back up to their room. Told him to keep an eye on his sister and make sure she didn’t wake up. He looked at me strangely and then nodded, choosing in the end to trust me and head back up the stairs. The crashing was getting louder from inside the shop and Stan had begun screaming about his brother now. I didn’t know he had a brother. Then again there was much I didn’t know about him. I walked back over to the doorway and came back in time to watch him sink to the floor, sobbing softly. Whatever he was going through, whether it was over Mable’s pet or something unknown to me, I wanted to be there for him. I walked over to where he was laying and laid a hand softly on his back. He jerked in surprise and then slowly rose to just his knees, staring up at me with the most lost expression. It made my heart hurt.

“Oh Stanford…what’s wrong?” I ran my hand down his cheek and watched his eyes grow wide before grabbing my hand tightly.

“Don’t call me that. I…I may have lied about something. No…no I did lie about something.” He stuttered through the sentence and I tilted my head to the side, unsure of what to say next. Of what to think really. Though….I wasn’t angry. It was hard to be angry at anything right now.

“Why don’t you come to the table? I made food for dinner and we can talk.” I helped him to his feet, Stanley nodding weakly and following along to the kitchen. He sat shakily on the left sound of the rounded nook and stared down at the plate I had made for him.

“Sorry it’s cold…” I should have heated it up, didn’t even think about it.

“What time is it?” He asked softly.

“Late. Past midnight for sure.” I looked around for a clock and was surprised not to find one. So much for modernization around here. I pulled out my phone and smirked at it. Of course it was dead.

He nodded as if he had already known.

“I’m sorry I was gone for so long. Did the kids eat?” I nodded in response and rubbed my head, slightly embarrassed.

“I’m not a great cook really and I didn’t mean to just take over your house…they were just hungry. Mable was ravenous. She woke up, ate and then went right back to bed. Are…are you okay?” He seemed to be avoiding what had happened, though I didn’t really blame him, my curiosity was out of control.

He let his head rock back, shoulder to shoulder before sighing heavily.

“My name is actually Stanley ya know…I mean, everything else about me is true I swear. It’s such a long story. My brother’s name was Stanford…he’s gone now though. I miss him a lot. I took his name because…” He paused and stared down at the food, tears slipping down his cheeks once again. I chewed at my bottom lip, thinking that this wasn’t the worst thing to find out. He was grieving and man, everything in this town was so weird. This was just the whipped topping.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” I hushed him, wiping at the tears and taking his face in my hands. “Tomorrow maybe, when things are less difficult.” He stared up at me again before pressing his head against my chest and nodding.

“Let’s get you to bed.” I pulled him to his feet and he didn’t resist. The food could be remade, it was trash anyways. We walked the way to his room and I opened the door for him, pulling my arm away from his shoulders and patting his back softly. He grabbed my upper arm tightly to stop the movement.

“Please stay with me again tonight…I’m sorry I just don’t want to be alone.” It didn’t even cross my mind to say no. I followed him into the room and shut the door softly behind us.


	10. A Night with Stan

I don’t know what I expected honestly. Something intense and all encompassing, passionate and aggressive. This was so different than anything like that. Different than anything I had ever experienced. I laid down with him, feeling a little strange and out of place. A bit awkward. Without a prompt Stan began to move his hands up my arms, making gooseflesh rise. His body was raised up, braced on one elbow while his fingers ran over my shoulders and into the drop of my collarbone. I shuddered slightly at this, reaching over to touch him, to feel the strong barrel of his chest. His hand caught my wrist, so quick and smooth it seemed instant and brought it down against the bed. His grip wasn’t painful but I couldn’t move that arm at all. It felt amazing. He was in charge of me with one simple action. He slipped his body easily over mine with one leg on each side, straddled. The hand around my wrist was moving now, gently pulling not one but both my arms over my head. Without thinking I lifted my hips, enjoying his control over me, and was met with a slight graze against his head. It was so hard against me. I gasped and lowered quickly, feeling my body warm, heat flowing downwards.

“Are you okay?” Stan’s voice cut through the heat, same sweetness with a bit of laughter behind it.

“Mhmm…” Everything about this was fantastic so far.

“Good. Let me know if that changes.” He suddenly buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. “You make me feel a whole lot better doll.”

I blushed slightly and pressed my check to his, hands still disabled. My heart jumped a bit as the thought crossed my mind that I was actually getting attached to this guy. The thought was almost immediately pulled out of my mind as Stan’s lips found my neck and began kissing there, biting slightly then licking where the bites had been. I sighed softly and moved my hips up again, purposefully now, to meet his head again. It was like he knew everything I liked without having a way to know. He was stiff against me and moaned oh so softly against my neck as I pushed harder. My body shuddered as he moved against me as well and hit the perfect spot. Like pulling a trigger pleasure shot up my spine for a split second, then back down wanting more. I began to move slowly, methodically, grinding my body against his while his mouth worked away at my neck and collarbones. He moaned again, a bit louder now, and I felt his grip tighten around my wrists. It only made me want more. His other hand had found my shirt now and was pulling it up above my bra.

He took an appreciative glance down before lifting the bra as well and smiling heavily. My hips were moving a bit faster now, feeling that heat rise ever hotter inside of me. I wanted to feel his hands on me, wanted to feel him inside of me. Instead I suddenly felt his lips on mine, soft and sweet. I opened my eyes without really realizing they had been closed and nearly laughed. His eyes were open too, staring down at me. They fluttered closed and he slipped his tongue over my lips. We kissed like that for longer than I expected, kissing like teenagers and moving our bodies against each other, nearly fully clothed. It tickled me. I felt his hand caressing up my side slowly before he bit my lip softly, earning a groan. The groan turned into his name as Stanley’s fingers found my nipple and pulled on it lightly. The palm of his hand was massaging my breast and my hips were pumping now, wanting more than the clothed contact. Wanting to cum. My insides felt like fire, molten lava running through my veins, and we had barely gotten started. His mouth soon replaced his fingers, teasing and sucking until my nipple stood hard against his lips.

“Please Stanley…” I wrestled my arms against his hand but the grip was iron and he laughed against my skin. He pulled his body away from mine slightly, leaving me moving against nothing and very frustrated.

“Stanley Ple-” The words died on my lips. His hand had slid downward and easily under the waist of my pants and underwear, straight to where my fire was burning brightest. His fingers moved easily against me, my body arching upwards hard to meet them. They moved quickly, circling and squeezing until I began to pant his name. His hands finally released my wrist so they could move back to my chest and I quickly unbuttoned my pants, pulling them down as far as possible. His fingers were slick against my body and it felt perfect.

It finally became too much and I buried my face against his shoulder, hands locked in his hair, trying not to shout as the orgasm flew through my body. My insides seized and shook, releasing even more against him. I rode his fingers until the very end, listening to him whisper words of encouragement and how ready he was to do more to him. My body gave a final shake a collapsed against the bed. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt like that….or been made to finish like that. He smiled softly down at me and kissed me, small pecks, over and over. I laughed every time, feeling cool and flushed and perfect. His hand was still on me, moving much slower now, stoking my flames.

“You’re beautiful ya know.” I blushed hard again and looked away. How had I never experienced anything like this?

My hands quickly found his button and started pulling away at his clothes, something he eventually had to assist with. I felt like something should have seemed strange about any of this but it felt so comfortable like something we had done a hundred times. Stanley sat on his knees now, still towered over at me, and ran his hands slowly down my thighs. It felt wonderful. We didn’t talk about it any further which was nice. It felt very in sync. He lowered his body down to mine and I felt his head enter me.

“Oh god…” I shuddered and gasped. He entered slowly, achingly slowly, until it had filled me completely and then just a bit more. It almost hurt but not quite. I trembled now, already feeling another orgasm rise within me and bit my lip in anticipation for him to start to move. He stared down at me, lifted a hand to brush hair out of my face and I sighed happily. He began to move. It was slow for the first few pumps but that was very short lived. He began to thrust against me, lifting my legs up over his chest, my feet up on his shoulders. The thrusts were hard and deep, throbbing against my insides and making me wanting to scream. He filled me every entry and I gasped nearly everytime he left. Words huffed out of my mouth begging him not to stop, begging him to do it harder, begging him to make me cum again. He smirked and grabbed my chest without skipping a beat, rocking harder with the new angle, and ran his fingers over my nipples. The result was almost instant. I bucked against him and felt the lovely orgasm spike, squeezing all of me around him so tightly I thought it would never stop. The world seemed to spin a bit and all I could think of was riding him harder. He gasped as I tightened and closed his eyes, head stretching upwards a bit towards the sky. I could feel him finishing inside me and loved every second of it, every feeling heightened and perfect. As the pulsing began to slow and his haggard breath began to quiet, he slipped out of me and plopped onto the bed. I was still trying to catch my own breath and staring up at the ceiling. He rolled to the side a kissed my head lightly and smiled huge.

“I’m awfully glad you came to Gravity Falls.”


	11. Suspect

Waking up was easy and a huge stretch felt fantastic, my muscles shaking and groaning in response. My mouth was dry and I needed a drink of water badly. And a shower for that matter. The bed was empty and surprisingly cold everywhere except for the cocoon I had wrapped up in.   
“Stanley?” My voice was a bit weak and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, remembering the night before. There was no response. I slowly began to pull myself out of the bed and laughed at the fact my clothes were in different places all over the room. Stanley had a bathroom just to the side of his room which was incredibly convenient for cleaning up but that still meant getting to my bag in just a towel. I would’ve asked him to do it but the man had just run off. I laughed idly at the thought, a man running away from his own home after a hot night, and climbed into the shower. The initial blast of cold water almost made me scream and it took it’s time afterwards warming up. That was just fine with me, I had never been much of a hot water kinda person. While the water streamed over me, plastering my hair against my head, I thought back over the last 24 hours. A lot had happened but none of it seemed terribly severe. Poor Stanley….that would take some getting used to….was still grieving his brother. I definitely understood what that was like. So what if he had taken his name? People do weird things when they’re sad. I had briefly considered asking Dipper and Mable about him today but quickly rejected the idea. Mable was already going through so much, both kids were honestly and it wouldn’t do anyone any good to bring up another death.   
The sun was filtering through the small bathroom window and I squinted up into it, wondering what the time was. I toyed with the thought of giving some of my past up to Stan, something I had never really done with anyone, and sighed. This guy was really making an impact on me. I wasn’t even interested in leaving at this point. If anything last night had sealed that. It’s not like I could leave anyways, why not enjoy what’s here while I can. My head clattered back and forth from idea to idea while I dried off and wrapped a towel around myself. The house was quiet as I walked to the living room where my clothes were and lugged the entire bag back into Stan’s room. If he protested later I could just move it out. I dressed quickly, simple black and pushed wet hair out of my face, and headed back out into the house.  
“Stanley!” I shouted his name, feeling a bit strange about it, and sighed when no response came again.   
“Dipper? Mable?” I shouted again, just a bit softer now and heard a squeaky voice from the kitchen.  
“In here!” The voice break was unmistakable. I walked into the kitchen and watched Dipper struggle to stack a couple sandwiches on top of each other with two bruised looking apples. One of the apples began to tumble and I stepped forward, catching it lightly and grinning. He laughed and started walking towards the stairs.  
“Mable was hungry but she won’t say so. I’m trying to cheer her up but it’s really hard.” I nodded along as we climbed. “I’ve never seen her sad for this long.”  
“Don’t feel bad kiddo, she just lost one of her best friends. It’s a pretty hard thing to go through.” He shrugged, seeming a bit annoyed, and I brought my hand down on his shoulder.  
“I’m sorry, I know you’re going through it too. I just mean…it’s not your fault what happened.” Dipper relaxed while I spoke and then laid his head back onto the hand on his shoulder.  
“It’s my fault the dumb pig was outside anyways. I’ve been complaining about how smelly he is for weeks. He should’ve been in here with Mable.” I grimaced at that, wishing that he didn’t feel guilty.  
“Just because some maniac is out there acting like this doesn’t make it your fault just because you complained about a stinky pig. Go easy on yourself.”  
We reached the doorway to their room and I glanced inside. Mable was laying on her bed with her eyes closed, squeezing a stuffed pig tightly. Dipper didn’t say anything else, walking towards the bed and I took it as my cue to leave. 

The house was quiet. I had gone outside for a bit, admiring the sun and nature but didn’t want to stray too far with everything that was going on. It was a bit past noon when I finally heard the crunch of gravel outside and a beat up car pulled beside my own. I stepped onto the porch, hands on my hips as Stanley climbed out of the driver’s seat. 

“Hey toots! How ya doin?” He sauntered over and kissed me like it was the most natural thing in the world. He had his suit on again with that weird eyepatch. I was going to give him a piece of my mind about running off without saying anything, especially with the kids here but I was thrown off guard. His grin was huge, he knew what he had done, and he started to walk inside.

“Not so fast…” I paused, still collecting myself. “Where have you been?” I felt like a nagging wife as soon as the words had left my mouth. Why did I care where he had gone?

“I went down to check on Carla. She doesn’t have a whole lot of friends here in town and I can’t imagine what she must be feelin right now.” Whatever wind was left in my sails quickly left as he said that. It was actually an incredibly thoughtful thing to do. 

“Well…I…I hope she is doing as well as she can.” My voice sounded a bit deflated and in truth I was embarrassed. He smiled again and wrapped his arm around me, hang gripping the hip on the other side in no gentle way. 

“What were you worried about sugar? Or just wantin another taste of last ni-OW!” I punched Stanley squarely in his arm. He rubbed it and gave me a pitiful look. 

“I was just curious. That’s all.” I replied curtly, annoyed at his coyness. He sighed and shrugged, motioning towards the house.

“I’m sorry, let me make it up to you. I’ll make lunch?” 

I eyed him and considered, knowing well and good that I wasn’t actually upset. This whole place was making me act strangely. 

“Alright.” My voice was still sharp and I began to walk past him, quickly turning and pecking him on the lips before rushing inside. The startled look on his face was enough for me to be satisfied. 

 

“Stop screaming,”

“STOP screaming.” 

STOP SCREAMING!!”

A man, darkly clad in ripped clothing charged towards the small girl. She screamed loud, high and piercing, burying her face against the ground. In his shaky hand was a small dagger, not more than four inches, covered in beautiful stones. Her scream tapered down slowly, finally fizzling out to nothing. The stench of the dirt was awful, grimy and humid, ground into her nose. She could feel the tear tracks down her face and tried not to gasp for air. There had to be a way out. Her small necklace was grasped tightly in her hand, a cross. She could hear him huffing over her, loud and angry. The world seemed to spin for a moment and she bit her lip hard, whimpering at the blood it drew. 

“P-please….I can give you whatever you want.” She spoke into the dirt, too scared to look at him. One look had been enough. Laughter sounded above her, hoarse and gritty.

“You could never give me what I need.” 

She could nearly feel his breath against her back now, bare and covered in goosebumps. A thin line of pain began to trace down her back, burning like fire. She wanted to scream so badly but was scared the pain would be worse if she did. Saliva began to pool in her mouth, leaking out past her lips as her vision began to dull.

“Please…” She whispered. The cutting sensation stopped.

“WHAT?! What do you think you could give me?” The man shouted, fury in his voice. She made a decision in that moment, grasping her necklace hard and rolling over, pulling until it snapped. She saw him again, emotionless in expression even while angry and screamed. The cross fit easily between her fingers and she shoved hard towards his face. The reaction was instant. She had nailed him squarely in the eye. He screeched, hands grappling towards his face and she scrambled away. Legs that felt like jello didn’t help in this situation but she still managed to stand and eventually run. The corridors were small in whatever this place was, tunnels leading in many different directions. Her back ached and felt like it was leaking but it didn’t matter now. After making a quick left down the 4th hallway she had come to an elevator looking thing was in front of her. It was a risk. She ran inside and slammed her hand on the button, screaming for it to go upwards. Footsteps could be heard echoing through the metal. After what seemed like an eternity the doors began to close and though she expected to see him running towards her at last minute, no such thing came. As the lift began to bring the young girl upwards, she sobbed. Hard and heavy, calling for her mother and father. 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards and cleaning up the shop, carefully skirting around the questions from the kids. Soos, the larger man sporting the Mystery Shacks merchandise, stopped by to ask if the shop was going to reopen anytime soon and to report that a new person had been found dead. An older gentleman that I had seen Stanley talking to after the last horrible murder. Stan simply shook his head and sighed. 

“This is getting out of hand. They’ve got us completely shut down, no phones, no way in or out! We are sittin ducks.” He ran a hand over his head and looked towards the kids, worry clear in his expression.

“Like DUCKTECTIVE! QUACK!” Mable shouted, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out. Dipper elbowed her and she looked down sheepishly. 

“That’s right sweetie. Just like ducktective.” Stanley replied, ruffling her hair. Soos shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably and looked around.

“Mr. Pines do you really think those FBI guys have something to do with this?” 

“I don’t know Soos, but I don’t think they’re just here for this killer. Something is off.” 

I took a minute to admire Stanley. He was a pretty smart guy when he wanted to be. We sat in silence for a moment before Stan clapped his hands and stood up.

“How about we don’t worry about all that! Let’s get cleaned up and head into town. I’ll drive us and we can go see some people.” He said cheerfully and I nodded in agreement. We needed to get out of the house for a little bit. I walked into the back bedroom to brush my hair a bit and heard the loud footsteps of the kids running upstairs. Stanley stood in the doorway watching me and I turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. 

“See something weird?” I shot playfully and he laughed. 

“Everything around here is weird honey.” He wasn’t wrong either. 

I opened my mouth to reply when there was a sharp knock on the door. Soos called from the other room that he would get it. I could hear mumbled voices at first but they began to raise in volume. 

“MR. PINES! THE GUYS IN THE SUITS ARE HERE!” Soos shouted suddenly and Stanley froze. He laughed and pulled at his collar slightly, shuffling towards the living room. Two men stood inside the shop, one blonde and one with dark hair and a mustache. The blonde man had his weapon drawn and pointed at the ground. 

“Gentlemen! What can I do fo-” Stanley’s words were cut off as the man with the mustache grabbed him by the arm and jerked his arm behind his back. He began cuffing the wrist and Stanley tried to spin around.

“HEY what’s the big idea?!” He shouted and the blonde man raised his weapon.

“Sir do not resist.” 

Stanley stood completely still, staring down the gun. 

“Fine.”

The black haired man continued cuffing him, pressing down tightly. I stared at both men, confused and scared. The kids huddled behind me and Soos stood between the men in the door, face angry . He seemed very protective. 

“Stanford Pines you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Pacifica Northwest.” I gasped and the blonde man looked up at me, face sympathetic. 

“Ma’am step back please.” I took a step backwards, not even realizing I had been walking forward. 

“ATTEMPTED MURDER?! Are you out of your mind! Why would I try and kill that little brat?!” He shouted and the men grabbed him each by one arm, jostling him towards the door. 

“Are you aware of your rights Mr. Pines?” One of them said, though I couldn’t see which now. I could definently see when Stanley spit towards the face of one of the men and faster than I thought he could move pull away from them and run towards me. 

“Honey I need you to do something for me. It’s very, very important. Press A-1-B-C-3 into the vending machine. It’s going to open a door. Go down every staircase.”  
The officers were getting up now and angrily advancing. Stanley looked over his shoulder and turned back panicked. 

“Blue lever, Red button, red button., in the middle of the room. You’re going to hear some bad things about me and some of them are true, but trust me. Everything I’ve worked for, everything I care about is in this! PLEASE!” The agents grabbed him by the arm and drug him backwards towards the door. Soos moved quickly away, tears running down his face. I didn’t know what to say, holding my hand up and stepping forward. 

“Do not interfere ma’am. Only warning.” The blonde man ordered, pulling Stanley out of the doorway and into the yard. I ignored him, following them out into the yard, feeling tears well up.

“Stanley…” 

“DON’T FORGET! BLUE RED RED! I’M COMING BACK HONEY! KEEP THE KIDS SAFE!” They were pushing his head into the car now, something black and intimidating. My hands were shaking and I turned, seeing Dipper and Mable’s eyes wide and scared.

“Come on kids…let’s go inside.” I pushed them towards the doorway and we slowly stepped in.

**Author's Note:**

> Olly Olly Oxen Free


End file.
